Command indication method and apparatus and information interaction method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

A terminal apparatus includes a receiver configured to receive a command for activating or deactivating one or more duplication transmission by using a bitmap field, each the one or more duplication transmission corresponding to each of one or more packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entities or each of one or more radio bearers, and a processor circuitry configured to control to activate or deactivate the one or more duplication transmission according to the command, and wherein one bit or a plurality of bits in the bitmap field correspond(s) to one of the PDCP entities or the radio bearers, an i-th bit or an i-th pair of bits in the bitmap field correspond(s) to an i-th packet data convergence protocol entity in the PDCP entities.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser.No. 17/377,649 filed on Jul. 16, 2021, which is a continuationapplication of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/747,274 filed on Jan. 20,2020, which is a continuation application of International ApplicationNo. PCT/CN2017/094869, filed on Jul. 28, 2017, the contents of each areherein incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies, andin particular to a command indication method and apparatus and aninformation interaction method and apparatus.

BACKGROUND

Issues related to next-generation wireless communication systems areunder study in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In orderto support high-reliability data transmission, in a next-generationsystem, duplication transmission of packet data convergence protocol(PDCP) data in a plurality of links will be supported. Use of diversitygains of identical PDCP protocol data units (PDUs) transmitted in aplurality of different links may lower a probability of error oftransmission of the PDCP PDUs and ensure reliability of services.

Resource utilization of duplication transmission of PDCP PDUs is onlyhalf of that of split transmission of PDCP PDUs (i.e. transmission ofdifferent PDCP PDUs in different links). Duplication transmission ofPDCP PDUs sacrifices a lot of radio resources to improve the reliabilityof data transmission.

Therefore, when a quality of a radio link is good and the splittransmission can meet the reliability of data transmission, duplicationtransmission needs to be deactivated and split transmission is used.When the quality of the radio link deteriorates, in order to ensure thereliability of data transmission, duplication transmission needs to beactivated.

On the other hand, a network device will configure the PDCP PDU datatransmission mode of a user equipment (UE) according to the currentradio link quality and service requirements, that is, activate ordeactivate duplication transmission.

It should be noted that the above description of the background ismerely provided for clear and complete explanation of this disclosureand for easy understanding by those skilled in the art. And it shouldnot be understood that the above technical solution is known to thoseskilled in the art as it is described in the background of thisdisclosure.

SUMMARY

It was found by the inventors that when a user equipment is connected toa plurality of network devices (such as base stations) at the same timeto perform multi-connection transmission, each network device mayindividually activate or deactivate the duplication transmission mode ofthe user equipment. However, there is currently no an effective solutionfor how the network device particularly activates or deactivatesduplication transmission of one or more PDCP entities in the userequipment. Furthermore, there exists a problem that configurations ofthe duplication transmission mode at a network device side and a userequipment side do not match, and there is currently no an effectivesolution.

Embodiments of this disclosure provide a command indication method andapparatus and an information interaction method and apparatus, in whichby transmitting a command for activating or deactivating duplicationtransmission by a network device to a user equipment by using a bitmapfield, duplication transmission of one or more PDCP entities in the UEmay be activated or deactivated; and by transmitting a configurationrequest message and/or configuration notification message in a pluralityof network devices for notifying whether one or more PDCP entities in auser equipment activate(s) a duplication transmission mode,understanding of the configuration of the duplication transmission bythe plurality of network devices to which the user equipment isconnected may be ensured to be consistent.

According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, thereis provided a command indication method, including:

transmitting to a user equipment (UE), a command for activating ordeactivating duplication transmission by using a bitmap field, toactivate or deactivate duplication transmission of one or more packetdata convergence protocol entities or radio bearers in the UE.

According to a second aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure,there is provided a command indication apparatus, including:

a command transmitting unit configured to transmit to a user equipment(UE), a command for activating or deactivating duplication transmissionby using a bitmap field, to activate or deactivate duplicationtransmission of one or more packet data convergence protocol entities orradio bearers in the UE.

According to a third aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, thereis provided a command receiving method, including:

receiving, by a user equipment, a command used for activating ordeactivating duplication transmission transmitted by a network devicevia a bitmap field; and activating or deactivating duplicationtransmission of one or more packet data convergence protocol entities orradio bearers by the UE according to the bitmap field.

According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure,there is provided a command receiving apparatus, including:

a command receiving unit configured to receive a command used foractivating or deactivating duplication transmission transmitted by anetwork device via a bitmap field; and a transmission processing unitconfigured to activate or deactivate duplication transmission of one ormore packet data convergence protocol entities or radio bearersaccording to the bitmap field.

According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, thereis provided an information interaction method, including:

receiving, by a network device, duplication transmission configurationrequest message(s) transmitted by one or more other network devices, theduplication transmission configuration request message(s) beingconfigured to indicate whether one or more packet data convergenceprotocol entities or radio bearers in a user equipment (UE) need(s) toactivate a duplication transmission mode.

According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, thereis provided an information interaction apparatus, including:

a request receiving unit configured to receive duplication transmissionconfiguration request message(s) transmitted by one or more networkdevices, the duplication transmission configuration request message(s)being used to indicate whether one or more packet data convergenceprotocol entities or radio bearers in a user equipment (UE) need(s) toactivate a duplication transmission mode.

According to a seventh aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure,there is provided an information interaction method, including:

transmitting duplication transmission configuration notificationmessage(s) by a network device to one or more other network devices, fornotifying the one or more network devices of whether one or more packetdata convergence protocol entities or radio bearers in a user equipment(UE) activate(s) a duplication transmission mode.

According to an eighth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure,there is provided an information interaction apparatus, including:

a message transmitting unit configured to transmit duplicationtransmission configuration notification message(s) to one or morenetwork devices, for notifying the one or more network devices ofwhether one or more packet data convergence protocol entities or radiobearers in a user equipment (UE) activate(s) a duplication transmissionmode.

According to a ninth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, thereis provided a communication system, including:

-   -   a first network device including the information interaction        apparatus as described in the sixth aspect, or the information        interaction apparatus as described in the eighth aspect;    -   a second network device including the command indication        apparatus as described in the second aspect, or the information        interaction apparatus as described in the sixth aspect, or the        information interaction apparatus as described in the eighth        aspect; and    -   a user equipment including the command receiving apparatus as        described in the fourth aspect.

An advantage of the embodiments of this disclosure exists in that bytransmitting a command for activating or deactivating duplicationtransmission by a network device to a user equipment by using a bitmapfield, duplication transmission of one or more PDCP entities in the UEmay be activated or deactivated;

and by transmitting a configuration request message or configurationnotification message in a plurality of network devices for notifyingwhether one or more PDCP entities in a user equipment activate(s) aduplication transmission mode, understanding of the configuration of theduplication transmission by the plurality of network devices to whichthe user equipment is connected may be ensured to be consistent.

With reference to the following description and drawings, the particularembodiments of this disclosure are disclosed in detail, and theprinciple of this disclosure and the manners of use are indicated. Itshould be understood that the scope of the embodiments of thisdisclosure is not limited thereto. The embodiments of this disclosurecontain many alternations, modifications and equivalents within thescope of the terms of the appended claims.

Features that are described and/or illustrated with respect to oneembodiment may be used in the same way or in a similar way in one ormore other embodiments and/or in combination with or instead of thefeatures of the other embodiments.

It should be emphasized that the term “comprise/include” when used inthis specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features,integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components orgroups thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Elements and features depicted in one drawing or embodiment of thedisclosure may be combined with elements and features depicted in one ormore additional drawings or embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the severalviews and may be used to designate like or similar parts in more thanone embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system of an embodimentof this disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the command indication method ofEmbodiment 1 of this disclosure;

FIG. 3 is another schematic diagram of the command indication method ofEmbodiment 1 of this disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the information interaction method ofEmbodiment 2 of this disclosure;

FIG. 5 is another schematic diagram of the information interactionmethod of Embodiment 2 of this disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the information interaction method ofEmbodiment 3 of this disclosure;

FIG. 7 is another schematic diagram of the information interactionmethod of Embodiment 3 of this disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the command indication apparatus ofEmbodiment 4 of this disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the command receiving apparatus ofEmbodiment 4 of this disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the information interaction apparatusof Embodiment 5 of this disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the information interaction apparatusof Embodiment 6 of this disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the network device of Embodiment 7 ofthis disclosure; and

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the user equipment of Embodiment 7 ofthis disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

These and further aspects and features of this disclosure will beapparent with reference to the following description and attacheddrawings. In the description and drawings, particular embodiments of thedisclosure have been disclosed in detail as being indicative of some ofthe ways in which the principles of the disclosure may be employed, butit is understood that the disclosure is not limited correspondingly inscope. Rather, the disclosure includes all changes, modifications andequivalents coming within the terms of the appended claims.

In the embodiments of this disclosure, terms “first”, and “second”,etc., are used to differentiate different elements with respect tonames, and do not indicate spatial arrangement or temporal orders ofthese elements, and these elements should not be limited by these terms.Terms “and/or” include any one and all combinations of one or morerelevantly listed terms. Terms “contain”, “include” and “have” refer toexistence of stated features, elements, components, or assemblies, butdo not exclude existence or addition of one or more other features,elements, components, or assemblies.

In the embodiments of this disclosure, single forms “a”, and “the”,etc., include plural forms, and should be understood as “a kind of” or“a type of” in a broad sense, but should not defined as a meaning of“one”; and the term “the” should be understood as including both asingle form and a plural form, except specified otherwise. Furthermore,the term “according to” should be understood as “at least partiallyaccording to”, the term “based on” should be understood as “at leastpartially based on”, except specified otherwise.

In the embodiments of this disclosure, the term “communication network”or “wireless communication network” may refer to a network satisfyingany one of the following communication standards: long term evolution(LTE), long term evolution-advanced (LTE-A), wideband code divisionmultiple access (WCDMA), and high-speed packet access (HSPA), etc. Andcommunication between devices in a communication system may be performedaccording to communication protocols at any stage, which may, forexample, include but not limited to the following communicationprotocols: 1G (generation), 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G, and 5G andnew radio (NR) in the future, etc., and/or other communication protocolsthat are currently known or will be developed in the future.

In the embodiments of this disclosure, the term “network device”, forexample, refers to an equipment in a communication system that accessesa terminal equipment to the communication network and provides servicesfor the terminal equipment. The network device may include but notlimited to the following equipment: a base station (BS), an access point(AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a broadcast transmitter, amobile management entity (MME), a gateway, a server, a radio networkcontroller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC).

The base station may include but not limited to a node B (NodeB or NB),an evolved node B (eNodeB or eNB), and a 5G base station (gNB).Furthermore, it may include a remote radio head (RRH), a remote radiounit (RRU), a relay, or a low-power node (such as a femto, and a pico).The term “base station” may include some or all of its functions, andeach base station may provide communication coverage for a specificgeographical area. And a term “cell” may refer to a base station and/orits coverage area, which is dependent on a context of the term.

In the embodiments of this disclosure, the term “user equipment (UE)” or“terminal equipment (TE)” refers to, for example, equipment accessing toa communication network and receiving network services via a networkdevice. The user equipment may be fixed or mobile, and may also bereferred to as a mobile station (MS), a terminal, a subscriber station(SS), an access terminal (AT), or a station, etc.

The user equipment may include but not limited to the following devices:a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem,a wireless communication device, a hand-held device, a machine-typecommunication device, a lap-top, a cordless telephone, a smart cellphone, a smart watch, and a digital camera, etc.

For another example, in a scenario of the Internet of Things (IoT),etc., the user equipment may also be a machine or a device performingmonitoring or measurement. For example, it may include but not limitedto a machine-type communication (MTC) terminal, a vehicle mountedcommunication terminal, a device to device (D2D) terminal, and a machineto machine (M2M) terminal, etc.

Scenarios in the embodiments of this disclosure shall be described belowby way of examples; however, this disclosure is not limited thereto.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system of an embodimentof this disclosure, in which a case where a user equipment and a networkdevice are taken as examples is schematically shown. As shown in FIG. 1, a communication system 100 may include a network device 101, a networkdevice 102 and a user equipment 103. For the sake of simplicity,description is given in FIG. 1 by taking one user equipment and twonetwork devices only as an example; however, the embodiments of thisdisclosure are not limited thereto.

In the embodiment of this disclosure, existing traffics or traffics thatmay be implemented in the future may be performed between the networkdevice 101 or 102 and the user equipment 103. For example, such trafficsmay include but not limited to an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB),massive machine type communication (MTC), and ultra-reliable andlow-latency communication (URLLC).

In the embodiments of this disclosure, the user equipment may beconnected to a plurality of network devices simultaneously formulti-connection transmission. Since the plurality of network devicesmay configure a duplication transmission mode of the same userequipment, it is possible that a certain network device is unable toknow whether a current duplication transmission mode of the userequipment is activated or deactivated by other network devices. Thiswill result in mismatched configurations of the duplication transmissionmode at the network device side and the user equipment side. Therefore,the network device side is needed to perform information interactionbetween the plurality of network devices to ensure that the plurality ofnetwork devices to which the user equipment is connected have aconsistent understanding of their configurations of duplicationtransmission mode.

Furthermore, when a plurality of PDCP entities of the user equipmentperform duplication transmissions, a certain network device may activateor deactivate only a part of the PDCP entities, and it is not necessaryto configure other PDCP entities. At this case, a new activation commandformat needs to be designed so as to support activation or deactivationof some PDCP entities of the user equipment without changingtransmission states of other PDCP entities.

It should be noted that the embodiments of this disclosure are describedby taking that the user equipment is connected to two or more networkdevices at the same time as an example. However, this disclosure is notlimited thereto; for example, the methods or apparatuses may also beapplicable to scenarios where a user equipment is not connected to twoor more network devices at the same time.

Embodiment 1

The embodiments of this disclosure provide a command indication method,applicable to a user equipment and one of a plurality of networkdevices; the UE is connected to the plurality of network devices at thesame time.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the command indication method of theembodiment of this disclosure, which shall be described from a networkdevice side. As shown in FIG. 2 , the command indication methodincludes:

202: a network device transmits to a user equipment, a command foractivating or deactivating duplication transmission by using a bitmapfield, to activate or deactivate duplication transmission of one or morePDCP entities or radio bearers in the UE.

In an embodiment, a bit in the bitmap field may correspond to a PDCPentity or a radio bearer (RB), or a plurality of bits in the bitmapfield (such as two or a pair; however, this disclosure is not limitedthereto, and they may also be more than two bits) may correspond to onePDCP entity or RB.

In an embodiment, the radio bearer (RB) may include a data radio bearer(DRB) and/or a signaling radio bearer (SRB); however, this disclosure isnot limited thereto, and following description shall be given by takinga DRB as an example. Furthermore, reference may be made to relatedtechniques for particular contents of the PDCP and RB.

In one embodiment, an i-th bit or an i-th pair of bits in the bitmapfield may correspond to a PDCP entity of a DRB identity being i.

For example, a user equipment may support 32 PDCP entities (however,this disclosure is not limited thereto, and they may also be of othernumbers), and their corresponding DRB identities are denoted by 0 to 31;thus, the bitmap field may include 32 bits, respectively correspondingto these 32 PDCP entities.

For another example, a user equipment may support 32 PDCP entities(however, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and they may also beof other numbers), and their corresponding DRB identities are denoted by0 to 31; thus, the bitmap field may include 32 pairs of bits (i.e. 64bits), respectively corresponding to these 32 PDCP entities.

In another embodiment, an i-th bit or an i-th pair of bits in the bitmapfield may correspond to a packet data convergence protocol entity of aduplication transmission identity being i. The duplication transmissionidentity may be configured by the network device side, and may beindependent of the DRB identity.

For example, a user equipment may support 32 PDCP entities (however,this disclosure is not limited thereto, and they may also be of othernumbers), and their corresponding duplication transmission identitiesare denoted by 0 to 31; thus, the bitmap field may include 32 bits,respectively corresponding to these 32 PDCP entities.

For another example, a user equipment may support 32 PDCP entities(however, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and they may also beof other numbers), and their corresponding duplication transmissionidentities are denoted by 0 to 31; thus, the bitmap field may include 32pairs of bits (i.e. 64 bits), respectively corresponding to these 32PDCP entities.

In a further embodiment, an i-th bit or an i-th pair of bits in thebitmap field may correspond to an i-th PDCP entity in ranked PDCPentities in the UE that are configured as duplication transmission. Forexample, a user equipment may support 32 PDCP entities (however, thisdisclosure is not limited thereto, and they may also be of othernumbers), in which, for example, 8 PDCP entities may be successivelyconfigured by the network device as using a duplication transmissionmode (that is, duplication transmission is activated); and the 8 PDCPentities configured as duplication transmission may be ranked.

In an example, the PDCP entities that are configured as duplicationtransmission may be ranked in a sequential order of configuringduplication transmission by a network device, or, in another example,they may be ranked in a sequential order of DRB identities to which thePDCP entities correspond. It should be noted that how to rank the PDCPentities configured as duplication transmission is illustrated above.However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and other suitableranking methods may also be adopted.

For example, a PDCP entity configured as duplication transmission may bedenoted by 0 to 7 after being ranked, and the bitmap field may include 8bits, respectively corresponding to the 8 PDCP entities configured asduplication transmission. Alternatively, the bitmap field may include 8pairs of bits (that is, 16 bits), respectively corresponding to the 8PDCP entities configured as duplication transmission.

In an embodiment, a value of one bit or a plurality of bits (such as twoor a pair) in the bitmap field may be used to instruct to change atransmission state of the corresponding PDCP entity, and another valuemay be used to instruct to maintain a transmission state of thecorresponding PDCP entity.

For example, the bit “1” may be used to indicate that the user equipmentchanges the transmission state of the corresponding PDCP entity. Thatis, if the original transmission state of the PDCP entity is anactivated state of duplication transmission, it instructs that the userequipment should change the transmission state of the PDCP entity into adeactivated state of duplication transmission; and if the originaltransmission state of the PDCP entity is a deactivated state ofduplication transmission, it instructs that the user equipment shouldchange the transmission state of the PDCP entity into an activated stateof duplication transmission. The bit “0” may be used to instruct theuser equipment to maintain a current transmission state of the PDCPentity, and change of activation or deactivation state is not needed.

For another example, the bit “0” may be used to instruct the userequipment to change a transmission state of the corresponding PDCPentity. That is, if the original transmission state of the PDCP entityis an activated state of duplication transmission, it instruct that theuser equipment should change the transmission state of the PDCP entityinto a deactivated state of duplication transmission; if the originaltransmission state of the PDCP entity is a deactivated state ofduplication transmission, it instructs that the user equipment shouldchange the transmission state of the PDCP entity into an activated stateof duplication transmission. The bit “1” may be used to instruct theuser equipment to maintain a current transmission state of the PDCPentity, and change of activation or deactivation state is not needed.

For example, the bits “11” may be used to instruct the user equipment tochange a transmission status of the corresponding PDCP entity. That is,if the original transmission state of the PDCP entity is an activatedstate of duplication transmission, it instructs that the user equipmentshould change the transmission state of the PDCP entity into adeactivated state of duplication transmission; and if the originaltransmission state of the PDCP entity is a deactivated state ofduplication transmission, instructs that the user equipment shouldchange the transmission state of the PDCP entity into an activated stateof duplication transmission. The bits “00” may be used to instruct theuser equipment to maintain a current transmission state of the PDCPentity, and change of the activation or deactivation state is notneeded.

For example, the bits “00” may be used to instruct the user equipment tochange a transmission status of the corresponding PDCP entity, that is,if the original transmission state of the PDCP entity is an activatedstate of duplication transmission, it instructs that the user equipmentshould change the transmission state of the PDCP entity into adeactivated state of duplication transmission; and if the originaltransmission state of the PDCP entity is a deactivated state ofduplication transmission, it instructs that the user equipment shouldchange the transmission state of the PDCP entity into an activated stateof duplication transmission. The bits “11” may be used to instruct theuser equipment to maintain a current transmission state of the PDCPentity, and change of the activation or deactivation state is notneeded.

For another example, “11” is used to instruct to activate duplicationtransmission of the PDCP entity, and the PDCP entity performsduplication transmission in a plurality of links at the same time; “00”is used to instruct to deactivate duplication transmission of the PDCPentity, and the PDCP entity performs split transmission in a pluralityof links at the same time; “10” is used to instruct to deactivateduplication transmission of the PDCP entity, and the PDCP entityperforms single-link transmission on a first RLC entity; and “01” isused to instruct to deactivate duplication transmission of the PDCPentity, and the PDCP entity performs single-link transmission on asecond RLC entity.

It should be noted that how to change or maintain the transmission stateof the corresponding PDCP entity according to the values of one or morebits is illustrated above; however, this disclosure is not limitedthereto. Indicative meanings of the values of one or more bits may bedetermined as demanded.

In an embodiment, one bit or a plurality of bits in the bitmap field maybe used to indicate that the corresponding PDCP entity executes one ofthe following operations: the duplication transmission of the PDCPentity being activated, and the PDCP entity simultaneously performingduplication transmission in a plurality of links; the duplicationtransmission of the PDCP entity being deactivated, and the PDCP entitysimultaneously performing split transmission in a plurality of links;and the duplication transmission of the PDCP entity being deactivated,and the PDCP entity performing single-link transmission in a designatedradio link control (RLC) entity. For example, the single-linktransmission may be performed on a first RLC entity, or may be performedon a second RLC entity.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the command indication method may further include:

201: the network device determines whether the one or more PDCP entitiesor RBs in the UE activate(s) a duplication transmission mode (such asactivating duplication transmission or deactivating duplicationtransmission).

In an embodiment, the network device may determine whether the one ormore PDCP entities or RBs activate(s) a duplication transmission modeaccording to radio link quality and/or traffic features of the UE,and/or duplication transmission configuration notification message(s)transmitted by one or more network devices. Reference may be made toEmbodiment 2 for the duplication transmission configuration notificationmessage.

FIG. 3 is another schematic diagram of the command indication method ofthe embodiment of this disclosure, which shall be described from anetwork device side and a user equipment side. As shown in FIG. 3 , thecommand indication method includes:

-   -   301: a network device determines whether one or more PDCP        entities or RBs in a user equipment activate(s) a duplication        transmission mode;    -   302: the network device transmits a command for activating or        deactivating duplication transmission to the user equipment via        a bitmap field; and    -   303: the user equipment activates or deactivates duplication        transmission of one or more PDCP entities or RBs according to        the bitmap field after receiving the command.

For example, if a bit to which a PDCP entity or an RB in the commandcorresponds is “1”, the PDCP entity should be changed with respect toits transmission state. That is, if the original transmission state ofthe PDCP entity is an activated state of duplication transmission, thetransmission state of the PDCP entity should be changed into adeactivated state of duplication transmission; and if the originaltransmission state of the PDCP entity is a deactivated state ofduplication transmission, the transmission state of the PDCP entityshould be changed into an activated state of duplication transmission.And if a bit to which a PDCP entity or an RB in the command correspondsis “0”, the PDCP entity should be maintained at its transmission state.In an embodiment, after receiving the command for activating ordeactivating the duplication transmission, the user equipment may selectto execute one of the following according to the instruction of thebitmap field: activating the duplication transmission state of the PDCPentity, and performing duplication transmission simultaneously by thePDCP entity in a plurality of links; deactivating the duplicationtransmission state of the PDCP entity, and performing split transmission(i.e. a transmission mode in which different PDCP PDUs are transmittedin different links) simultaneously by the PDCP entity in a plurality oflinks; deactivating the duplication transmission state of the PDCPentity, and performing single-link transmission by the PDCP entity on afirst RLC entity; and deactivating the duplication transmission state ofthe PDCP entity, and performing single-link transmission by the PDCPentity on second RLC entity.

It should be noted that the embodiment of this disclosure is onlyillustrated in FIG. 3 ; however, this disclosure is not limited thereto.For example, an order of execution of the steps may be appropriatelyadjusted, and furthermore, some other steps may be added, or some stepstherein may be reduced. And appropriate variants may be made by thoseskilled in the art according to the above contents, without beinglimited to what is contained in FIG. 3 .

In an embodiment, the network device may further receive a duplicationtransmission configuration request message transmitted by one or moreother network devices, or transmit a duplication transmissionconfiguration request message to one or more other network devices.Reference may be made to Embodiment 2 or 3 for a content of theduplication transmission configuration request message.

In an embodiment, the network device may further receive a duplicationtransmission configuration notification message transmitted by one ormore other network devices, or transmit a duplication transmissionconfiguration notification message to one or more other network devices.Reference may be made to Embodiment 2 or 3 for a content of theduplication transmission configuration notification message.

It can be seen from the above embodiments that by transmitting thecommand for activating or deactivating duplication transmission by thenetwork device to the user equipment by using the bitmap field,duplication transmission of one or more PDCP entities or RBs in the UEmay be activated or deactivated.

Embodiment 2

The embodiments of this disclosure provide an information interactionmethod, applicable to a plurality of network devices connected to a userequipment at the same time. Following description shall be given bytaking a first network device and a second network device as an example.However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and informationinteraction may also be performed by more than two network devices.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the information interaction method ofthe embodiment of this disclosure, which shall be described from asecond network device. As shown in FIG. 4 , the information interactionmethod includes:

401: a second network device receives a duplication transmissionconfiguration request message transmitted by a first network device, theduplication transmission configuration request message being used toindicate whether one or more PDCP entities or RBs in a user equipmentneed(s) to activate a duplication transmission mode.

In an embodiment, the duplication transmission configuration requestmessage may include: an identity of the UE (such as a UE ID),identity/identities of one or more PDCP entities or identity/identitiesof one or more RBs, and indication information for activating ordeactivating duplication transmission of the one or more PDCP entitiesor RBs. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and forexample, other information may also be included.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the information interaction method may furtherinclude:

402: the second network device determines whether the one or more PDCPentities or RBs in the UE activate(s) a duplication transmission mode.

FIG. 5 is another schematic diagram of the information interactionmethod of the embodiment of this disclosure, which shall be describedfrom a plurality of network devices. As shown in FIG. 5 , theinformation interaction method includes:

501: a second network device receives a duplication transmissionconfiguration request message transmitted by a first network device, theduplication transmission configuration request message being used toindicate whether one or more PDCP entities or RBs in the user equipmentneed(s) to activate a duplication transmission mode.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the information interaction method may furtherinclude:

502: the second network device determines whether the one or more PDCPentities or RBs in the UE activate(s) a duplication transmission mode.

For example, the second network device may, according to radio linkquality and/or traffic features of the UE, determine whether the one ormore PDCP entities or RBs perform(s) configuration of activation ordeactivation of duplication transmission.

For another example, the second network device may, according to theduplication transmission configuration request message transmitted byone or more other network devices, determine whether the one or morePDCP entities or RBs perform(s) configuration of activation ordeactivation of duplication transmission.

For a further example, the second network device may, according to radiolink quality and/or traffic features of the UE and the duplicationtransmission configuration request message transmitted by one or moreother network devices, determine whether the one or more PDCP entitiesor RBs perform(s) configuration of activation or deactivation ofduplication transmission.

In an embodiment, the second network device may transmit the duplicationtransmission configuration notification message to one or more othernetwork devices. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto; forexample, the second network device may also transmit information onduplication transmission configuration to the user equipment, and theuser equipment may forward the information on duplication transmissionconfiguration to other network devices. Following description shall begiven by taking that interaction is performed between network devices asan example.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the information interaction method may furtherinclude:

503: the second network device transmits a duplication transmissionconfiguration notification message to one or more network devices, fornotifying the one or more network devices of whether the one or morePDCP entities or RBs in the user equipment activate(s) a duplicationtransmission mode.

For example, after the second network device makes a decision onperforming configuration of activation or deactivation of duplicationtransmission on the one or more PDCP entities in the user equipment, itmay transmit notification message for performing configuration ofactivation or deactivation of duplication transmission, notifyinginformation on the decision it made to the first network device.

In one embodiment, the duplication transmission configurationnotification message may include: an identity of the UE (such as a UEID), identity/identities of one or more PDCP entities oridentity/identities of one or more RBs, and indication information foractivating or deactivating duplication transmission of the one or morePDCP entities or duplication transmission of the one or more RBs.

In another embodiment, the duplication transmission configurationnotification message may include: an identity of the UE (such as a UEID), and a bitmap field for activating or deactivating duplicationtransmission of one or more PDCP entities or duplication transmission ofone or more RBs. Reference may be made to Embodiment 1 for a content ofthe bitmap field, and this disclosure is not limited thereto; forexample, other information may also be included.

It should be noted that the embodiment of this disclosure is onlyillustrated in FIG. 5 ; however, this disclosure is not limited thereto.For example, an order of execution of the steps may be appropriatelyadjusted, and furthermore, some other steps may be added, or some stepstherein may be reduced. And appropriate variants may be made by thoseskilled in the art according to the above contents, without beinglimited to what is contained in FIG. 5 .

It can be seen from the above embodiments that by transmitting aconfiguration request message in network devices for indicating whetherone or more PDCP entities or RBs in a user equipment need(s) to activatea duplication transmission mode, understanding of the configuration ofthe duplication transmission by a plurality of network devices may beensured to be consistent.

Embodiment 3

The embodiments of this disclosure provide an information interactionmethod, applicable to a plurality of network devices connected to a userequipment at the same time. Following description shall be given bytaking a first network device and a second network device as an example.However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and informationinteraction may also be performed by more than two network devices.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the information interaction method ofthe embodiment of this disclosure, which shall be described from asecond network device. As shown in FIG. 6 , the information interactionmethod includes:

602: a second network device transmits a duplication transmissionconfiguration notification message to one or more first network devices,for notifying the one or more first network devices of whether one ormore PDCP entities or RBs in a user equipment activate(s) a duplicationtransmission mode.

For example, the duplication transmission configuration notificationmessage may include: an identity of the UE (such as a UE ID),identity/identities of one or more PDCP entities or identity/identitiesof one or more RBs, and indication information for activating ordeactivating duplication transmission of the one or more PDCP entitiesor duplication transmission of the one or more RBs.

For another example, the duplication transmission configurationnotification message may include: an identity of the UE (such as a UEID), and a bitmap field for activating or deactivating duplicationtransmission of one or more PDCP entities or duplication transmission ofone or more RBs.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the information interaction method may furtherinclude:

601: the second network device determines whether the PDCP entities orRBs in the UE activate(s) a duplication transmission mode.

FIG. 7 is another schematic diagram of the information interactionmethod of the embodiment of this disclosure, which shall be describedfrom a plurality of network devices. As shown in FIG. 7 , theinformation interaction method includes:

701: a second network device receives duplication transmissionconfiguration request message(s) transmitted by one or more firstnetwork devices, the duplication transmission configuration requestmessage(s) being used to indicate whether one or more PDCP entities orRBs in the UE need(s) to activate a duplication transmission mode.

In an embodiment, the duplication transmission configuration requestmessage includes: an identity of the UE (such as a UE ID),identity/identities of one or more PDCP entities or identity/identitiesof one or more RBs, and indication information for activating ordeactivating duplication transmission of the one or more PDCP entitiesor duplication transmission of the one or more RBs. However, thisdisclosure is not limited thereto, and for example, other informationmay also be included.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the information interaction method may furtherinclude:

702: the second network device determines whether the PDCP entities orRBs activate(s) a duplication transmission mode.

For example, the second network device may, according to radio linkquality and/or traffic features of the UE, determine whether the one ormore PDCP entities or RBs perform(s) configuration of activation ordeactivation of duplication transmission.

For another example, the second network device may, according to theduplication transmission configuration request message transmitted byone or more other network devices, determine whether the one or morePDCP entities or RBs perform(s) configuration of activation ordeactivation of duplication transmission.

For a further example, the second network device may, according to somefactors such as radio link quality and/or traffic features of the UE,and the duplication transmission configuration request messagetransmitted by one or more other network devices, determine whether theone or more PDCP entities or RBs perform(s) configuration of activationor deactivation of duplication transmission.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the information interaction method may furtherinclude:

703: the second network device transmits a duplication transmissionconfiguration notification message to one or more other network devices,for notifying the one or more network devices of whether the one or morePDCP entities or RBs in the user equipment activate(s) a duplicationtransmission mode.

For example, after the second network device makes a decision onperforming configuration of activation or deactivation of duplicationtransmission on the one or more PDCP entities in the user equipment, itmay transmit notification message for performing configuration ofactivation or deactivation of duplication transmission, notifyinginformation on the decision it made to the first network device.

It should be noted that the embodiment of this disclosure is onlyillustrated in FIG. 7 ; however, this disclosure is not limited thereto.For example, an order of execution of the steps may be appropriatelyadjusted, and furthermore, some other steps may be added, or some stepstherein may be reduced. And appropriate variants may be made by thoseskilled in the art according to the above contents, without beinglimited to what is contained in FIG. 7 .

It can be seen from the above embodiments that by transmitting aduplication transmission configuration notification message in networkdevices for indicating whether one or more PDCP entities or RBs in auser equipment need(s) to activate a duplication transmission mode,understanding of the configuration of the duplication transmission by aplurality of network devices may be ensured to be consistent.

Embodiment 4

The embodiments of this disclosure provide a command indicationapparatus. The command indication apparatus may be, for example, anetwork device, or may be one or more parts or component in a networkdevice. Contents in the embodiments identical to those in Embodiment 1shall not be described herein any further.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the command indication apparatus of theembodiment of this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8 , a command indicationapparatus 800 includes:

a command transmitting unit 802 configured to transmit to a userequipment (UE), a command for activating or deactivating duplicationtransmission by using a bitmap field, to activate or deactivateduplication transmission of one or more PDCP entities or RBs in the UE.

In an embodiment, one bit or a plurality of bits in the bitmap fieldcorrespond(s) to one of the PDCP entities or RBs.

For example, an i-th bit or an i-th pair of bits in the bitmap fieldcorrespond(s) to a PDCP entity of a DRB identity being i; or an i-th bitor an i-th pair of bits in the bitmap field correspond(s) to a PDCPentity of a duplication transmission identity being i.

For another example, an i-th bit or an i-th pair of bits in the bitmapfield correspond(s) to an i-th PDCP entity in ranked PDCP entities inthe UE that are configured as duplication transmission;

wherein the PDCP entities that are configured as duplicationtransmission may be ranked in a sequential order of configuringduplication transmission by a network device, or, they may be ranked ina sequential order of DRB identities to which the PDCP entitiescorrespond.

In an embodiment, a value of one bit or a plurality of bits in thebitmap field is used to indicate changing a duplication transmissionstate of the corresponding PDCP entity, and another value is used toindicate maintaining a duplication transmission state of thecorresponding PDCP entity.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the command indication apparatus 800 may furtherinclude:

a mode determining unit 801 configured to determine whether the one ormore PDCP entities or RBs activate(s) a duplication transmission mode.

In an embodiment, the mode determining unit 801 may, according to radiolink quality and/or traffic features of the UE, and/or the duplicationtransmission configuration request message transmitted by one or morenetwork devices, determine whether the one or more PDCP entities or RBsperform(s) configuration of activation or deactivation of duplicationtransmission.

It should be noted that the components or modules related to thisdisclosure are only described above; however, this disclosure is notlimited thereto. For example, the command indication apparatus 800 mayfurther include other components or modules, and reference may be madeto related techniques for particulars of these components or modules.

The embodiment of this disclosure further provides a command receivingapparatus. The command receiving apparatus may be, for example, a userequipment, or may be one or more parts or component in a user equipment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the command receiving apparatus of theembodiment of this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 9 , a command receivingapparatus 900 includes:

-   -   a command receiving unit 901 configured to receive a command        used for activating or deactivating duplication transmission        transmitted by a network device via a bitmap field; and    -   a transmission processing unit 902 configured to activate or        deactivate duplication transmission of one or more packet data        convergence protocol entities or radio bearers according to the        bitmap field.

In an embodiment, one bit or a plurality of bits in the bitmap fieldis/are used to indicate that the corresponding PDCP entity executes oneof the following operations: the duplication transmission of the PDCPentity being activated, and the PDCP entity simultaneously performingduplication transmission in a plurality of links; the duplicationtransmission of the PDCP entity being deactivated, and the PDCP entitysimultaneously performing split transmission in a plurality of links;and the duplication transmission of the PDCP entity being deactivated,and the PDCP entity performing single-link transmission in a designatedRLC entity (such as a first RLC entity or a second RLC entity).

It should be noted that the components or modules related to thisdisclosure are only described above; however, this disclosure is notlimited thereto. For example, the command receiving apparatus 900 mayfurther include other components or modules, and reference may be madeto related techniques for particulars of these components or modules.

It can be seen from the above embodiments that by transmitting thecommand for activating or deactivating duplication transmission by thenetwork device to the user equipment by using the bitmap field,duplication transmission of one or more PDCP entities or RBs in the UEmay be activated or deactivated.

Embodiment 5

The embodiments of this disclosure provide an information interactionapparatus. The information interaction apparatus may be, for example, anetwork device, or may be one or more parts or component in a networkdevice. Contents in the embodiments identical to those in Embodiment 2shall not be described herein any further.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the information interaction apparatusof the embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 10 , aninformation interaction apparatus 1000 includes: a request receivingunit 1001 configured to receive duplication transmission configurationrequest message(s) transmitted by one or more network devices, theduplication transmission configuration request message(s) being used toindicate whether one or more PDCP entities or radio bearers in a userequipment (UE) need(s) to activate a duplication transmission mode.

In an embodiment, the duplication transmission configuration requestmessage may include: an identity of the UE, identity/identities of oneor more PDCP entities or identity/identities of one or more RBs, andindication information for activating or deactivating duplicationtransmission of the one or more PDCP entities or RBs.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the information interaction apparatus 1000 mayfurther include:

a mode determining unit 1002 configured to, according to radio linkquality and/or traffic features of the UE and/or the duplicationtransmission configuration request message(s) transmitted by the one ormore network devices, determine whether the one or more PDCP entities orRBs activate(s) a duplication transmission mode.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the information interaction apparatus 1000includes:

a message transmitting unit 1003 configured to transmit duplicationtransmission configuration notification message(s) to the one or morenetwork devices, for notifying the one or more network devices ofwhether one or more PDCP entities or RBs in a user equipment (UE)activate(s) a duplication transmission mode.

For example, the duplication transmission configuration notificationmessage may include: an identity of the UE, identity/identities of oneor more PDCP entities or identity/identities of one or more RBs, andindication information for activating or deactivating duplicationtransmission of the one or more PDCP entities or duplicationtransmission of the one or more RBs.

For another example, the duplication transmission configurationnotification message may include:

an identity of the UE, and a bitmap field for activating or deactivatingduplication transmission of one or more PDCP entities or duplicationtransmission of one or more RBs.

It should be noted that the components or modules related to thisdisclosure are only described above; however, this disclosure is notlimited thereto. For example, the information interaction apparatus 1000may further include other components or modules, and reference may bemade to related techniques for particulars of these components ormodules.

It can be seen from the above embodiments that by transmitting aduplication transmission configuration notification message in networkdevices for indicating whether one or more PDCP entities or RBs in auser equipment need(s) to activate a duplication transmission mode,understanding of the configuration of the duplication transmission by aplurality of network devices may be ensured to be consistent.

Embodiment 6

The embodiments of this disclosure provide an information interactionapparatus. The information interaction apparatus may be, for example, anetwork device, or may be one or more parts or component in a networkdevice. Contents in the embodiments identical to those in Embodiment 3shall not be described herein any further.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the information interaction apparatusof the embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 11 , aninformation interaction apparatus 1100 includes: a message transmittingunit 1101 configured to transmit duplication transmission configurationnotification message(s) to one or more network devices, for notifyingthe one or more network devices of whether one or more PDCP entities orRBs in a user equipment (UE) activate(s) a duplication transmissionmode.

For example, the duplication transmission configuration notificationmessage may include: an identity of the UE, identity/identities of oneor more PDCP entities or identity/identities of one or more RBs, andindication information for activating or deactivating duplicationtransmission of the one or more PDCP entities or duplicationtransmission of the one or more RBs.

For another example, the duplication transmission configurationnotification message may include: an identity of the UE, and a bitmapfield for activating or deactivating duplication transmission of one ormore PDCP entities or duplication transmission of one or more RBs.

As shown in FIG. 11 , the information interaction apparatus 1100 mayfurther include:

a request receiving unit 1102 configured to receive duplicationtransmission configuration request message(s) transmitted by one or morenetwork devices, the duplication transmission configuration requestmessage(s) being used to indicate whether one or more PDCP entities orRBs in the UE need(s) to activate a duplication transmission mode.

In an embodiment, the duplication transmission configuration requestmessage may include: an identity of the UE, identity/identities of oneor more PDCP entities or identity/identities of one or more RBs, andindication information for activating or deactivating duplicationtransmission of the one or more PDCP entities or duplicationtransmission of the one or more RBs.

As shown in FIG. 11 , the information interaction apparatus 1100 mayfurther include:

a mode determining unit 1103 configured to determine whether the one ormore PDCP entities or radio bearers activate(s) a duplicationtransmission mode, according to radio link quality and/or trafficfeatures of the UE and/or the duplication transmission configurationrequest message(s) transmitted by the one or more network devices.

It should be noted that the components or modules related to thisdisclosure are only described above; however, this disclosure is notlimited thereto. For example, the information interaction apparatus 1100may further include other components or modules, and reference may bemade to related techniques for particulars of these components ormodules.

It can be seen from the above embodiments that by transmitting aduplication transmission configuration notification message between thenetwork devices for indicating whether one or more PDCP entities or RBsin a user equipment need(s) to activate a duplication transmission mode,understanding of the configuration of the duplication transmission by aplurality of network devices may be ensured to be consistent.

Embodiment 7

The embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication system, andreference may be made to FIG. 1 , with contents identical to those inembodiments 1-6 being not going to be described herein any further. Inthe embodiments, the communication system 100 may further include:

-   -   a network device 101 configured with the information interaction        apparatus 1000 as described in Embodiment 5 or the information        interaction apparatus 1100 as described in Embodiment 6;    -   a network device 102 configured with the command indication        apparatus 800 as described in Embodiment 4, or the information        interaction apparatus 1000 as described in Embodiment 5, or the        information interaction apparatus 1100 as described in        Embodiment 6; and    -   a user equipment 103 configured with the command indication        apparatus 900 as described in Embodiment 4.

The embodiment of this disclosure further provides a network device,which may be, for example, a base station. However, this disclosure isnot limited thereto, and it may also be another network device.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a structure of the network device ofthe embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 12 , a networkdevice 1200 may include a processor 1210 (such as a central processingunit (CPU)) and a memory 1220, the memory 1220 being coupled to theprocessor 1210. The memory 1220 may store various data, and furthermore,it may store a program 1230 for data processing, and execute the program1230 under control of the processor 1210.

For example, the processor 1210 may be configured to execute the program1230 to execute the following control: transmitting to a user equipment(UE), a command for activating or deactivating duplication transmissionby using a bitmap field, to activate or deactivate duplicationtransmission of one or more PDCP entities or RBs in the UE.

Or, the processor 1210 may be configured to execute the program 1230 toexecute the following control: receiving duplication transmissionconfiguration request message(s) transmitted by one or more networkdevices, the duplication transmission configuration request message(s)being used to indicate whether one or more PDCP entities or RBs in auser equipment (UE) need(s) to activate a duplication transmission mode.

Or, the processor 1210 may be configured to execute the program 1230 toexecute the following control: transmitting duplication transmissionconfiguration request message(s) to one or more network devices, theduplication transmission configuration request message(s) beingconfigured to indicate whether one or more PDCP entities or RBs in auser equipment (UE) need(s) to activate a duplication transmission mode.

Or, the processor 1210 may be configured to execute the program 1230 toexecute the following control: transmitting duplication transmissionconfiguration notification message(s) for notifying one or more networkdevices of whether one or more PDCP entities or RBs in a user equipment(UE) activate(s) a duplication transmission mode.

Or, the processor 1210 may be configured to execute the program 1230 toexecute the following control: receiving duplication transmissionconfiguration notification message(s) transmitted by one or more networkdevices, for notifying the one or more network devices of whether one ormore PDCP entities or RBs in a user equipment (UE) activate(s) aduplication transmission mode. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12 , thenetwork device 1200 may include a transceiver 1240, and an antenna 1250,etc. Functions of the above components are similar to those in therelevant art, and shall not be described herein any further. It shouldbe noted that the network device 1200 does not necessarily include allthe parts shown in FIG. 12 , and furthermore, the network device 1200may include parts not shown in FIG. 12 , and the relevant art may bereferred to.

The embodiment of this disclosure further provides a user equipment,however, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and it may also beanother equipment.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the user equipment of the embodimentof this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 13 , a user equipment 1300 mayinclude a processor 1310 and a memory 1320, the memory 1320 storing dataand a program and being coupled to the processor 1310. It should benoted that his figure is illustrative only, and other types ofstructures may also be used, so as to supplement or replace thisstructure and achieve a telecommunications function or other functions.For example, the processor 1310 may be configured to execute thefollowing control: receiving a command used for activating ordeactivating duplication transmission transmitted by a network devicevia a bitmap field; and activating or deactivating duplicationtransmission of one or more PDCP entities or RBs according to the bitmapfield.

As shown in FIG. 13 , the user equipment 1300 may further include acommunication module 1330, an input unit 1340, a display 1350, and apower supply 1360; functions of the above components are similar tothose in the relevant art, which shall not be described herein anyfurther. It should be noted that the user equipment 1300 does notnecessarily include all the parts shown in FIG. 13 , and the abovecomponents are not necessary. Furthermore, the user equipment 1300 mayinclude parts not shown in FIG. 13 , and the relevant art may bereferred to.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer readableprogram code, which, when executed in a network device, will cause thenetwork device to carry out the command indication method or theinformation interaction method as described in embodiments 1-3.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer storagemedium, including a computer readable program code, which will cause anetwork device to carry out the command indication method or theinformation interaction method as described in embodiments 1-3.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer readableprogram code, which, when executed in a user equipment, will cause theuser equipment to carry out the command receiving method as described inEmbodiment 1.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer storagemedium, including a computer readable program code, which will cause auser equipment to carry out the command receiving method as described inEmbodiment 1.

The above apparatuses and methods of this disclosure may be implementedby hardware, or by hardware in combination with software. Thisdisclosure relates to such a computer-readable program that when theprogram is executed by a logic device, the logic device is enabled tocarry out the apparatus or components as described above, or to carryout the methods or steps as described above. The present disclosure alsorelates to a storage medium for storing the above program, such as ahard disk, a floppy disk, a CD, a DVD, and a flash memory, etc.

The methods/apparatuses described with reference to the embodiments ofthis disclosure may be directly embodied as hardware, software modulesexecuted by a processor, or a combination thereof. For example, one ormore functional block diagrams and/or one or more combinations of thefunctional block diagrams shown in FIG. 8 (such as the mode determiningunit and the command transmitting unit) may either correspond tosoftware modules of procedures of a computer program, or correspond tohardware modules. Such software modules may respectively correspond tothe steps shown in FIG. 2 . And the hardware module, for example, may becarried out by firming the soft modules by using a field programmablegate array (FPGA).

The soft modules may be located in an RAM, a flash memory, an ROM, anEPROM, and EEPROM, a register, a hard disc, a floppy disc, a CD-ROM, orany memory medium in other forms known in the art. A memory medium maybe coupled to a processor, so that the processor may be able to readinformation from the memory medium, and write information into thememory medium; or the memory medium may be a component of the processor.The processor and the memory medium may be located in an ASIC. The softmodules may be stored in a memory of a mobile terminal, and may also bestored in a memory card of a pluggable mobile terminal. For example, ifequipment (such as a mobile terminal) employs an MEGA-SIM card of arelatively large capacity or a flash memory device of a large capacity,the soft modules may be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or the flash memorydevice of a large capacity.

One or more functional blocks and/or one or more combinations of thefunctional blocks in FIGS. 8-10 may be realized as a universalprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) orother programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logicdevices, discrete hardware component or any appropriate combinationsthereof carrying out the functions described in this application. Andthe one or more functional block diagrams and/or one or morecombinations of the functional block diagrams in the drawings may alsobe realized as a combination of computing equipment, such as acombination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple processors, one ormore microprocessors in communication combination with a DSP, or anyother such configuration.

This disclosure is described above with reference to particularembodiments. However, it should be understood by those skilled in theart that such a description is illustrative only, and not intended tolimit the protection scope of the present disclosure. Various variantsand modifications may be made by those skilled in the art according tothe principle of the present disclosure, and such variants andmodifications fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

As to implementations containing the above embodiments, followingsupplements are further provided in this disclosure.

Supplement 1. A command indication method, including:

-   -   transmitting a command for activating or deactivating        duplication transmission by a network device to a user equipment        by using a bitmap field, to activate or deactivate duplication    -   transmission of one or more packet data convergence protocol        entities or radio bearers in the UE.

Supplement 2. The command indication method according to supplement 1,wherein one bit or a plurality of bits in the bitmap field correspond(s)to one of the packet data convergence protocol entities or radiobearers.

Supplement 3. The command indication method according to supplement 2,wherein an i-th bit or an i-th pair of bits in the bitmap fieldcorrespond(s) to a packet data convergence protocol entity of a dataradio bearer identity being i; or an i-th bit or an i-th pair of bits inthe bitmap field correspond(s) to a packet data convergence protocolentity of a duplication transmission identity being i.

Supplement 4. The command indication method according to supplement 2,wherein an i-th bit or an i-th pair of bits in the bitmap fieldcorrespond(s) to an i-th packet data convergence protocol entity inranked packet data convergence protocol entities in the UE that areconfigured as duplication transmission.

Supplement 5. The command indication method according to supplement 4,wherein the packet data convergence protocol entities that areconfigured as duplication transmission are ranked in a sequential orderof configuring duplication transmission by a network device, or areranked in a sequential order of corresponding data radio beareridentities.

Supplement 6. The command indication method according to supplement 2,wherein a value of one bit or a plurality of bits in the bitmap field isused to indicate changing a duplication transmission state of thecorresponding packet data convergence protocol entity, and another valueis used to indicate maintaining a duplication transmission state of thecorresponding packet data convergence protocol entity.

Supplement 7. The command indication method according to supplement 2,wherein one bit or a plurality of bits in the bitmap field is/are usedto indicate that the corresponding packet data convergence protocolentity executes one of the following operations:

-   -   the duplication transmission of the packet data convergence        protocol entity being activated, and the packet data convergence        protocol entity simultaneously performing duplication        transmission in a plurality of links;    -   the duplication transmission of the packet data convergence        protocol entity being deactivated, and the packet data        convergence protocol entity simultaneously performing split        transmission in a plurality of links; and    -   the duplication transmission of the packet data convergence        protocol entity being deactivated, and the packet data        convergence protocol entity performing single-link transmission        in a designated radio link control entity.

Supplement 8. The command indication method according to supplement 1,wherein the command indication method further includes:

-   -   according to radio link quality and/or traffic features of the        UE and/or duplication transmission configuration notification        message(s) transmitted by one or more network devices,        determining whether the one or more packet data convergence        protocol entities or radio bearers activate(s) a duplication        transmission mode.

Supplement 9. An information interaction method, including:

-   -   receiving, by a network device, duplication transmission        configuration request message(s) transmitted by one or more        network devices, the duplication transmission configuration        request message(s) being used to indicate whether one or more        packet data convergence protocol entities or radio bearers in a        user equipment (UE) need(s) to activate a duplication        transmission mode.

Supplement 10. The information interaction method according tosupplement 9, wherein the duplication transmission configuration requestmessage includes: an identity of the UE, identity/identities of one ormore packet data convergence protocol entities or identity/identities ofone or more radio bearers, and indication information for activating ordeactivating duplication transmission of the one or more packet dataconvergence protocol entities or radio bearers.

Supplement 11. The information interaction method according tosupplement 9, wherein the information interaction method furtherincludes:

according to radio link quality and/or traffic features of the UE and/orthe duplication transmission configuration request message(s)transmitted by the one or more network devices, determining whether theone or more packet data convergence protocol entities or radio bearersactivate(s) a duplication transmission mode.

Supplement 12. The information interaction method according tosupplement 11, wherein the information interaction method furtherincludes:

transmitting duplication transmission configuration notificationmessage(s) by the network device to one or more other network devices,for notifying the one or more network devices of whether the one or morepacket data convergence protocol entities or radio bearers in the UEactivate(s) a duplication transmission mode.

Supplement 13. The information interaction method according tosupplement 12, wherein the duplication transmission configurationnotification message includes: an identity of the UE,identity/identities of one or more packet data convergence protocolentities or identity/identities of one or more radio bearers, andindication information for activating or deactivating duplicationtransmission of the one or more packet data convergence protocolentities or duplication transmission of the one or more radio bearers.

Supplement 14. The information interaction method according tosupplement 12, wherein the duplication transmission configurationnotification message includes: an identity of the UE, and a bitmap fieldfor activating or deactivating duplication transmission of one or morepacket data convergence protocol entities or duplication transmission ofone or more radio bearers.

Supplement 15. An information interaction method, including:

transmitting duplication transmission configuration notificationmessage(s) by a network device to one or more other network devices, fornotifying the one or more network devices of whether one or more packetdata convergence protocol entities or radio bearers in a user equipment(UE) activate(s) a duplication transmission mode.

Supplement 16. The information interaction method according tosupplement 15, wherein the duplication transmission configurationnotification message includes: an identity of the UE,identity/identities of one or more packet data convergence protocolentities or identity/identities of one or more radio bearers, andindication information for activating or deactivating duplicationtransmission of the one or more packet data convergence protocolentities or duplication transmission of the one or more radio bearers.

Supplement 17. The information interaction method according tosupplement 15, wherein the duplication transmission configurationnotification message includes: an identity of the UE, and a bitmap fieldfor activating or deactivating duplication transmission of one or morepacket data convergence protocol entities or duplication transmission ofone or more radio bearers.

Supplement 18. The information interaction method according tosupplement 15, wherein the information interaction method furtherincludes:

determining whether the one or more packet data convergence protocolentities or radio bearers activate(s) a duplication transmission mode,according to radio link quality and/or traffic features of the UE and/orthe duplication transmission configuration request message(s)transmitted by the one or more network devices.

Supplement 19. The information interaction method according tosupplement 18, wherein the information interaction method furtherincludes:

receiving, by the network device, duplication transmission configurationrequest message(s) transmitted by one or more other network devices, theduplication transmission configuration request message(s) being used toindicate whether one or more packet data convergence protocol entitiesor radio bearers in the UE need(s) to activate a duplicationtransmission mode.

Supplement 20. The information interaction method according tosupplement 19, wherein the duplication transmission configurationrequest message includes: an identity of the UE, identity/identities ofone or more packet data convergence protocol entities oridentity/identities of one or more radio bearers, and indicationinformation for activating or deactivating duplication transmission ofthe one or more packet data convergence protocol entities or duplicationtransmission of the one or more radio bearers.

Supplement 21. A command indication method, including:

-   -   transmitting a command for activating or deactivating        duplication transmission by a network device to a user        equipment, the command instructing the user equipment to execute        one of the following operations:    -   the duplication transmission of the packet data convergence        protocol entity being activated, and the packet data convergence        protocol entity simultaneously performing duplication        transmission in a plurality of links;    -   the duplication transmission of the packet data convergence        protocol entity being deactivated, and the packet data        convergence protocol entity simultaneously performing split        transmission in a plurality of links;    -   the duplication transmission of the packet data convergence        protocol entity being deactivated, and the packet data        convergence protocol entity performing single-link transmission        in a first radio link control entity; and    -   the duplication transmission of the packet data convergence        protocol entity being deactivated, and the packet data        convergence protocol entity performing single-link transmission        in a second radio link control entity.

Supplement 22. A configuration method, including:

-   -   transmitting a configuration command by a network device to a        user equipment, the configuration command instructing the user        equipment to execute one of the following operations:    -   an initial transmission state of a packet data convergence        protocol entity being a deactivated state of duplication        transmission, and the packet data convergence protocol entity        simultaneously performing split transmission in a plurality of        links;    -   an initial transmission state of a packet data convergence        protocol entity being a deactivated state of duplication        transmission, and the packet data convergence protocol entity        performing single-link transmission in a first radio control        link;    -   an initial transmission state of a packet data convergence        protocol entity being a deactivated state of duplication        transmission, and the packet data convergence protocol entity        performing single-link transmission in a second radio control        link.

Supplement 23. A command receiving method, including:

-   -   receiving, by a user equipment, a command used for activating or        deactivating duplication transmission transmitted by a network        device via a bitmap field; and    -   activating or deactivating duplication transmission of one or        more packet data convergence protocol entities or radio bearers        by the UE according to the bitmap field.

Supplement 24. A network device, including a processor and a memorycoupled to the processor, the processor being configured to carry outthe methods as described in supplements 1-22.

Supplement 25. A user equipment, including a processor and a memorycoupled to the processor, the processor being configured to carry outthe method as described in supplement 23.

Supplement 26. A communication system, including the network device asdescribed in supplement 24 and/or the user equipment as described insupplement 25.

What is claimed is:
 1. A terminal apparatus comprising: a receiverconfigured to receive a command for activating or deactivating one ormore duplication transmission by using a bitmap field, each the one ormore duplication transmission corresponding to each of one or morepacket data convergence protocol (PDCP) entities or each of one or moreradio bearers, and processor circuitry configured to control to activateor deactivate the one or more duplication transmission according to thecommand; and wherein one bit or a plurality of bits in the bitmap fieldcorrespond(s) to one of the PDCP entities or the radio bearers, an i-thbit or an i-th pair of bits in the bitmap field correspond(s) to an i-thpacket data convergence protocol entity in the PDCP entities.
 2. Theterminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an i-th bit or an i-thpair of bits in the bitmap field correspond(s) to a packet dataconvergence protocol entity of a duplication transmission identity beingi.
 3. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the PDCPentities that are configured as duplication transmission are ranked in asequential order of configuring duplication transmission by a networkdevice, or are ranked in a sequential order of corresponding data radiobearer identities.
 4. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1,wherein a value of one bit or a plurality of bits in the bitmap field isused to indicate changing a duplication transmission state of thecorresponding packet data convergence protocol entity, and another valueis used to indicate maintaining a duplication transmission state of thecorresponding packet data convergence protocol entity.
 5. The terminalapparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the radio bearers isData Radio Bearer.
 6. A communication method performed by a terminalcomprising: receiving a command for activating or deactivating one ormore duplication transmission by using a bitmap field, each the one ormore duplication transmission corresponding to each one or more packetdata convergence protocol (PDCP) entities or radio bearers, andcontrolling to activate or deactivate the one or more duplicationtransmission according to the command; and wherein one bit or aplurality of bits in the bitmap field correspond(s) to one of the PDCPentities or the radio bearers, an i-th bit or an i-th pair of bits inthe bitmap field correspond(s) to an i-th PDCP entity in the PDCPentities.